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Index Kingdom
The Index Kingdom (also referred to as the Noble Index Kingdom) is a constitutional monarchy composed of five Regions spanning four continents. The Index Kingdom was created by Sirjoseph9 for the game Create Your Own Country and is currently the oldest living nation in the CYOC genre. Regions, States & Territories The Five Regions The First Region is composed of the territories of the Summer Islands, Newfoundland, and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The kingdom's largest city and capital, Referrandium, and the King's residence, Aquanion Castle, are both found in the Summer Islands, located in the North Atlantic. The Second Region is composed of the territories of Norway, Finland, Czech Republic, and Greenland. The Second Region is the most populated region in the Index Kingdom. Oslo, the region's largest city and second largest metropolitan area, serves as the region's capital. The Third Region, sometimes referrred to as the African Coast, is composed of the territories of Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Cyprus. Tripoli, the current home of former King Merthan IX and the kingdom's 4th largest city, is the capital of the Third Region. The Fourth Region is composed of the territories of Bahamas, Hispaniola, and the Florida Keys and is known for it's relatively turmoiled history. Port-au-Prince serves as capital. The Fifth Region, the kingdom's most spread out and sparsely populated region, is composed of the territories of the Philippines, Aleutian Islands, and American Samoa. Manila serves as capital of the Fifth Region. 'Indexan Australia' While not a formal region, Indexan Australia serves as an important part of the Index Empire. Indexan Australia is divided between the Royal States of the GEH , Belozay , and the DUTML. 'Royal States' The Royal States of the Index Kingdom are more comparable to independent states than to a formal Region of the Kingdom. While still receiving jurisdiction from the King, Royal States maintain their own government system and are not mandated by the Council of Barons, maintaining a general sovereignty. Out of the seven Royal States, four (Belozay, GEH, Juton, and DUTML) are player-owned. The other Royal States are St. Helena (previously a Porschestani territory), Svalbard, and the Maldives. History The Index Kingdom was created in the original Create your own country by Sirjoseph9. While the exact creation date is currently unknown, the date of May 1, 2008 has been adopted as the creation date. The Indexan calendar, which marks the year of the creation of the Index Kingdom as Year 1, is used to recount Indexan history. 'Beginnings' The Index Kingdom claims its origin in the Isles of Snow (presently called the Summer Islands) in the North Atlantic. Five competing communities, the Harts, the Scalts, the Farls, the Fiels, and the Velds, occupied the 38 island archipelago. Pressured by barbarian dangers towards the east in Iceland and Europe, the five communities united to form the Index, and the town of Ironshire (presently Automia) on the island of Referrisle was named the capital. It was also decided that the Isles of Snow would be renamed the Summer Islands. To the distaste of the rival Hart and Scalt communities, the leader of the Farl community, Vilt of Farl, declared himself King on 1 May 1 with the support of the Veld community. Throughout the years following Vilt's coronation, contempt between the communities of Hart and Farl was evident, with the Harts later gaining the support of the Scalts and the Velds. The Fiel community continued to remain neutral throughout their relevancy. Despite lingering tensions, no major incidents of violence between the communities occurred for two decades, although the mysterious death of Vilt of Farl's sister rose many questions that inevitably furthered tensions between the communities. 'The Harth Era' Tensions between the Farls and the Harths climaxed in February of Year 22 when fighting broke out at Lite Hill several miles outside of Ovalia during the wedding of Vilt of Farl's son, Gilt, nicknamed Prince Guilt after an earlier incident. A vicious battle lasting three days commenced resulting in a victory for the Harth community after Scalt forces prevented Veld reinforcements from reaching the Farls in time. Harth leader Thomas Harth I claimed the throne and began a violent campaign to eliminate the Farl community from the islands, resulting in approximately 2,000 deaths, a startling amount of lives lost for a population of almost 25,000. Several months after the Battle of Lite Hill, King Thomas Harth I moved the kingdom's capital to the city of Ovalia and began construction on the grand Petaleaf Manor which would be completed 30 years later. Thomas I's successor, Thomas Harth II, created a royal advisory committee of Barons from various baronships in Year 84 which would later become the Council of Barons. The original Baron's Rotunda of Ovalia (not to be confused with the Baron's Rotunda in Referrandium) was also built in the same year. During the reign of the Harth royal family which included four kings, disputes between the Scalts and the Harths began to arise over the direction and vision for the young kingdom. The Scalts, envisioning a great empire, became disenchanted with the Harth goal of maintaining a small agriculture society within the Summer Isles. While the majority of Scalts remained content in silent contempt, in Year 121, a sizeable group of rebellious Scalts led by Merthan Sott Scalia III decided to take action and attacked Ovalia's unprepared Petaleaf Manor and set fire to the city. During the siege, King Thomas Harth IV was overthrown and Merthan III claimed the throne. The city of Ovalia did not fully recover until the reign of Merthan V. 'The Scalian Era and the Golden Age' Following the burning of the city of Ovalia and the death of King Thomas Harth IV, Scalt leader Merthan Sott Scalia III claimed the throne and immediately began plans to move the kingdom's capital from Ovalia to the town of Referrandium on the northernmost peninsula of Referrisle. Temporarily residing in the Graph House (presently the Baron's Rotunda) in Referrandium, King Merthan III started construction on Aquanion Castle on a large island directly north of Referrandium. To this day, Aquanion Castle remains one of the most striking architectural efforts in the world. The Scalian Era, despite being a legendary time in Indexan history for its cultural and military advances, was also one of the most controversial eras due to the gradual increase in control of the monarchy as well as the hidden efforts to erase or rewrite previous history. A sole copy of "A History of the Index Kingdom" in the Aquanion Castle Royal Library remains the only accurate chronicling of early Indexan history. The beginning of the reign of King Merthan Sott Scalia IV is widely regarded as the beginning of the Indexan Golden Age. Much of the culture and ideals the Index Kingdom is known for today found its origins in Merthan IV's reign. During his reign, the Index Kingdom moved beyond the Summer Isles and acquired the Philippines, Norway, Finland, and several other territories totalling to a third of the Index Kingdom's current land area. Merthan IV moved into Aquanion Castle after its completion shortly after his father's death, Known for his eccentric personality and his frequent travels, Merthan IV elevated public interest in the monarchy. News publications often discussed the extent of his insanity, never doubting that he was insane, and chronicled his visits to foreign states. At the start of his reign, he began a heavily publicized effort to assemble massive collections various trinkets and oddities from around the world, an effort which continued indefinitely. During these travels which somehow happened to make the Indexan king a rather well known figure internationally, Merthan IV also made efforts to establish and strengthen relations with foreign nations such as Djinnaken, Porschestan, and the NPE among others. Early in his reign, the first Cabbage Pods for space exploration were commissioned in an effort to capitalize on growing international interest in space travel and defense. The Cabbage Pod eventually led to the creation of the famed Cabbage Crafts and their Heavy-Craft counterparts, as well as the first version of the Cabbage Shield. Also early in Merthan IV's reign, the kingdom experienced its first incident of international warfare where a warfaring country attempted to attack Referrandium, but was defeated with assistance from kingdom's ally, Zargaria. Afterward, further development on the Cabbage Shield in an effort to provide the Index Kingdom the best possible defense. A teenage Merthan V (who seemed oddly similar to Merthan IV) continued Merthan IV's policies and expansionist goals after his father's death. Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago among other territories were acquired under Merthan V's reign, although reasons behind the acquisition of such Arctic territories are still vaguely unclear. The Golden Age continued on through the reigns of Merthan VI and Merthan VII. The beginning of the long reign of Merthan VIII, a time when advancement rate had leveled out and interest in foreign affairs hit rock bottom, is generally considered the end of the Golden Age. 'Neutrality' As the Golden Age began to end, the Index Kingdom settled into a controversial era of complete neutrality in which the Index Kingdom refused to take part in approximately 15 wars worldwide (we don't really know the number, but that sounds about right). From the reign of Merthan VII who declared "utmost neutrality" to the present, the Index Kingdom experienced few military advancements and the military decreased to half its previous size, although maintenance and updates on the Cabbage Shield has continued since its creation. The strive for neutrality has allowed the Index Kingdom to maintain steady relations with other fellow powers and attempt to prevent foreign warfare and rivalries from disrupting the world order and the overall stability of the kingdom. With its age-old peaceful reputation, the Index Kingdom makes up for its relative lack of military savvy with earned international trust. As a symbol of this trust, the Index Kingdom gained the honor of hosting the first worldwide Winter Olympic Games in Helsinki, Second Region. Despite the Index Kingdom choosing not to involve itself in international warfare, the kingdom has been involved in two notable incidents since its declaration of neutrality, along with various minor international incidents, proving the impossibility of avoiding international affairs altogether. In the first incident, a fledgling Sammer's Kingdom was forced to surrender after provoking the Index Kingdom into war after an attempted assassination of the King. Djinn Spell, then the former Emperor and Djinnmaster of Djinnaken, and a great ally of the Index Kingdom as well as a close personal friend to the Indexan Kings, forced Sammer's Kingdom into surrender after defeating their leader in a duel. After the war, the Index Kingdom acquired the Maldives. In the second incident, a rebellious Fourth Region attempted to break away from the Index Kingdom before the Index Kingdom eventually put down the resistance and entered the Montaine Era. Since the reign of Queen Ariadne, the first non-Scalian ruler since the Harth era, the Index Kingdom has since become less neutral, owing to the birth of the Index Empire under the rule of the Montaine family and the inclusion of multiple sovereign states under the Indexan flag, but still maintains a strong policy of neutrality which is expected to be respected by its States and allies. 'Culture' The Index Kingdom prides itself in its rich and diverse culture which varies from region to region. 'Cabbage' It is rumoured that the Index Kingdom's infatuation with cabbage originated from Emilia Sott's (mother of Merthan Sott Scalia I) love of her cabbage garden. This love for cabbage was passed on down the Scalian line until the Scalias claimed the throne and made the cabbage a national symbol. The cabbage, beyond being a staple in both Indexan cuisine and the useless-trinkets-for-tourists industry, also strangely enough served as inspiration for the Cabbage Craft and the infamous Cabbage Shield, and also found itself in the King's coat-of-arms. 'Baked Goods' The Index Kingdom prides itself in the rich cuisine that has developed over a milennia. While there are a great variety of original Indexan dishes which vary in different regions, the kingdom is most notable for its expansive array of baked goods and pastries and the citizens' affinity for bakeries. Popularity for baked goods soared during the Scalian Era due to strong support for the bakery industry from the monarchy and the King's much publicized love for pastries. About 11,000 commercial and retail bakeries generate a combined annual revenue of approximately Aq110 billion. 'Rum' Indexans have always found pride in their national beverage, rum. Long a staple in Indexan diets, rum has since become internationally associated with the Index Kingdom ever since the King once decided on a whim to put thousands of barrels of Indexan rum on a barge in the middle of the ocean and proclaimed, "Free rum up for grabs!" Referrandium Rum International, the original producer of Royal Indexan Rum, is currently the largest producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages in the world, and Indexan Rum is highly regarded internationally as the only acceptable rum to be served at bars or an evening dinner. 'Entertainment & Leisure' While the kingdom still enjoys a sizable domestic entertainment industry, a majority of the popular media circulated throughout the Index Kingdom, particularly motion pictures and television, is created or produced in foreign nations. The Indexan entertainment industry is primarily centered in the cities of Referrandium, which boasts a one of the world's largest theatre districts and is the home to several large Indexan record labels, and Oslo, which is home to the Indexan motion picture and television industry. Indexans are particularly known for their love of outdoor leisure activities, and are often looked upon oddly by tourists as citizens enjoy running around chasing rabbits and staring at cows. Both the monarchy and individual communities give a great amount of attention towards the creation and maintenance of public spaces, with the Index Kingdom having the greatest ratio of population to acres of public recreational space. While there are plenty of land and coastal areas for summer recreation, 61% of the Indexan population living in the primarily cold climates of the First and Second Regions also enjoy winter leisure activities such as skiing with a wide expanse of forests and mountain plateaus available. Hockey, football, and water polo among others are popular sports in the Index Kingdom. 'Monarchy & the Council of Barons' See also: Indexan Monarchy The King of the Index Kingdom presides over the Five Regions, Indexan territories, and Royal States. The current monarch is King West Montaine III. For the length of the Index Kingdom's existence, the monarchy has remained the primary executive authority in the government despite the passage of the Constitution of 184, which relatively limited the monarch's control over legislative and executive functions in the Noble Kingdom, though the monarchy continues to exercise full control over Royal Territories and relations with Royal States. Succession is hereditary, with 20 different monarchs coming from 4 different royal lines, with the first being King Vilt of Farl. The Council of Barons, consisting of the 50 Barons from various cities in the Five Regions, serves as the true legistlative and executive body in the Noble Kingdom, although the monarch still exercises a sizable amount of control over the Council and their rankings. Barons and baronships are ranked according to primarily population, with ranks determining how votes in the Council are weighted. The Baron of Referrandium has served as the Head Baron of the Council for most of the past five centuries. The Barons convene regularly in the Baron's Rotunda in Referrandium. 'Notable People & Places' 'Referrandium & Aquanion Castle' Serving as capital of the Index Kingdom since the beginning of the Scalian Era, Referrandium has been the kingdom's largest city for the past 600 years and the top-ranked baronship in the Council of Barons. Referrandium is home to the kingdom's largest theatre and museum districts, housing both the famous St. Mark's Theatre and the Royal Museum of Art. Referrandium also has the expansive Royal Collection District, which houses only about a fourth of the famous Royal Scalian Collections and the picturesque Referrandium Clock Tower. Aquanion Castle, completed early in the reign of King Merthan IV, sits on a large island directly north of Referrandium, connected to the mainland by an ancient stone bridge. Aside from serving as the headquarters for kingly functions, the castle has experienced quite a few exciting dinners, invasions, meddling rabbits, and breakfasts. Especially breakfasts. 'Merthan Sott Scalia IX' Known for his eccentric, jolly personality and even more known for his unsinkable appetite, Merthan Sott Scalia IX was the last Scalian king. Previously believed to have died, ceding the throne to Queen Ariadne, he later revealed himself to be alive and well during the infamous reign of King Austin Lough Vale. Choosing not to retake his throne, he lives a quiet life of eternity in Tripoli at his seaside Reprise Manor. Among the many other peculiarities of his life, Merthan IX is also a former Olympic gold medalist, winning at the ripe age of one-hundred-something, and is currently a writer for a column in the Index Kingdom Courier Royale. He continues to be an avid traveler and collector, though he tries to avoid adventures like those he experienced earlier in his lifetime. He always has a misty-eyed rabbit with him, usually a descendant of his favorite rabbit Almond. Category:Player Nations Category:African Nations Category:North American Nations Category:Asian Nations Category:European Nations Category:CYOC Countries